Yogesh Joshi, the game changer of Indian PR world

New Delhi: For PR professionals in India the name 'Yogesh Joshi' evokes much admiration. They know him as the man who showed them how to reach for the stars, and demonstrated that being ‘Indian’ and being ‘world-class’ are not mutually exclusive. Mr Joshi earned this respect and admiration by single-handedly elevating the PR profession to its international status. It is also his transformative work which prompted industry bosses to acknowledge the power and role of communication in keeping their businesses running smoothly.

Mr Joshi is currently President of the Association of Business Communicators of India, better known as ABCI. ABCI is a forum, a mission that was started in 1956-57 by the late Mr Victor Paranjyoti to encourage and reward excellence in business communication. Since 2004, when Mr Joshi was elected President for the first time he has repeatedly proven himself a dynamic leader and true torchbearer by taking ABCI past new frontiers and milestones every year. Over the years, he has built up a body of work and accomplishments that continues to inspire the professional community. In the process, he has also revealed different facets of his personality: he is at once visionary, strategist, pioneer, hands-on leader and game-changer.

THE VISIONARY

In 2004, Mr Joshi announced the Elite Category Awards as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 43rd Annual Awards Nite. This far-reaching move instantly enhanced the scope of the flagship programme by bringing in eminent achievers from outside the PR profession. Besides adding lustre to the ABCI stage, these awards have raised the aspiration levels of communication professionals.

THE STRATEGIST

Before announcing every annual awards function, Mr Joshi adds a little twist to the proceedings – a theme to highlight a particular aspect or collateral of business communication. Each time the theme is different and never repeated. This encourages communication professionals to excel in all aspects of their work and to develop a healthy competitive spirit.

THE PIONEER

Mr Joshi raised the bar once again in April 2007. As part of ABCI’s Golden Jubilee Year commemoration, he established the ‘Brains Trust’ Fellowship Accreditation for PR practitioners. The initiative made ABCI the first Indian forum to award fellowships to professionals with formal education and training. A similar fellowship is also offered, with a strict examination and selection procedure, to students of Mass Media Communications. In 2008, he added three more Elite Awards one of which was ‘Global Business Communicator’,with which he erased the boundaries for ABCI.

THE ‘HANDS-ON’ LEADER

Mr Joshi has a very dependable team, with which he can execute some of the most ambitious plans and ideas. But like a seasoned commander who always leads his troops from the front, Mr Joshi is out there – visiting dignitaries, discussing details of the next conference, negotiating best deals from vendors, appointing a panel of judges for the awards, following up with phone calls and emails and visiting the venue a day before any event to check if everything’s organized to perfection.

THE SINGER

Yogesh Joshi is also an accomplished singer in the Indian classical tradition. He learnt for several years under the tutelage of Pt Jitendra Abhisheki a renowned singer of the Agra-Jaipur gharana. His performances at concerts over the years have earned him praise from critics and music aficionados alike.

THE SOCIAL WORKER

Yogesh remains committed to community welfare and fulfils his social responsibility at every opportunity. He frequently finds cancer-afflicted needy persons and brings them to the super-specialty Tata Memorial Hospital where they can receive world-class treatment free of cost

THE GAME-CHANGER

So far in his Presidency tenure of 14 years, Mr Joshi has introduced several path-breaking initiatives and innovative themes. These have significantly helped in building ABCI membership. At last count, it had 6500+ members including over 1500 organizations among whom you will find top brands, industry leaders and prominent Indian banks, especially the Reserve Bank of India, (The Federal Reserve of India); which has been member for many years.

At every ComFest, members turn up in large numbers. The winners among them look forward to their moment in the spotlight and celebration afterwards with old friends and old wine. But occasionally Mr Joshi skips the old wine and uncorks a new bottle - Brand India Summit.

In October 2016, Mr Joshi introduced Brand India Summit (BIS). Conceptualized by Mr Joshi, BIS was hosted and conducted by ABCI. Yogesh later Founded Brand India Summit Foundation along with Mr. Saurabh Uboweja of which he is Founder President. The unique event sparkled like a precious jewel dug out from the depths of India’s history. On stage were policy makers, brand leaders, successful entrepreneurs and other eminent individuals who power the modern day image of India. The unprecedented success of BIS and demands for a second edition next year,clearly established Mr Joshi as a communication expert who is on top of his game.

“Yogesh! You have done an amazing job rebranding India during your Summit and I was very; very honoured to be a part of the event. That kind of event is important to shed a beautiful light on a beautiful country like yours. I hope, one day I get to visit India again and get to know more again”

These victories and initiatives serve as milestones in the impressive journey of the man who continues to seek out new challenges and new horizons: Yogesh Joshi.

Nurul Ashiqin Shamsuri, Kuala Lampur, Malaysia

VISION: PRESIDENT OF ABCI

As communication professionals we can be the catalysts in the creation of new knowledge economies. Developing nations can be brought to a level playing field and transformed into thriving knowledge economies. This goal can be achieved through the sharing of knowledge, skills and insights.

I dream of the day when the notion of ‘developing nations’ is replaced by the overwhelming reality of a single global community with common concerns and aspirations across geographies. We must believe in that dream and work to realize it. For therein lies the future.